Newborn Baby Fontanelles
It is very common in down syndrome and some congenital infections.
Newborn baby fontanelles. This flexibility also allows. The soft spot on the back of your baby s head is called the posterior fontanelle. Sometimes there is a third bigger fontanelle other than posterior and anterior ones in a newborn.
These gaps or spaces are called fontanelles. They are one of the most important things to look after in a newborn baby there are two fontanelles based of their positioning if you scrutinise the head of your baby you will notice spots that. There are 2 fontanelles the space between the bones of an infant s skull where the sutures intersect that are covered by tough membranes that protect the underlying soft tissues and brain.
At birth the average size of the anterior fontanelle is about an inch in diameter 2 1 centimeters but it can be bigger or smaller. These are more commonly known as soft spots. They provide the skull with the flexibility needed to pass through the birth canal.
There are two fontanelles on your baby s head and they may vary in size slightly. Babies are usually born with six fontanelles. Sometimes the posterior fontanelle will be closed at birth.
The gaps between these bones are important as they give the bones room to move and overlap during labour when the baby passes through the birth canal. And then there s a posterior fontanelle at the rear of the baby s head which is triangular shaped. A baby is born with several fontanels.
When a baby is born their skull bones are not yet joined together firmly. The main two are the anterior fontanelle which you can palpate or feel at the top of the baby s head and that is diamond shaped. This small opening is in the shape of a triangle and it usually measures less than inch 1 centimeter at birth.